The Fifth Wheel
by Allegra Monet
Summary: A typical Schwarz gets new member-type story, but different. I can't explain very well, so just read. PART 2 UP!!!!
1. Part One

  
**Disclaimer:** Jayde is mine, Weiss and Schwarz are not. I WANT THEM TO BEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!   
  


**The Fifth Wheel**

A/N: Just a fic that came to mind. It differs from my previous "girl joins Schwarz, girl falls for a certain member" by the fact that she doesn't fall for anyone straight away...... Okay, mindless babble. I can't explain it, so just read.   
And the POV switches from Brad to Jayde throughout the story.   
  
  


**Brad's POV**   


My life is going down the drain at a million miles an hour. 

During a meeting with the Elders, I was told that we were getting another member. I didn't even get to make the final decision! She's female, 5 foot 6, with long blue-black hair. She's a telepath and a pyrokinetic, and she's 18 years old. Her name is Jayde. I pity her greatly. 

Schuldig insisted on coming with me to pick her up from Headquarters. 

So here we are, waiting for the fifth wheel to arrive.   


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   


**Jayde's POV**   


"Why do I have to join an all-male assassin group?" I whinged to my grandfather, one of the three Este Elders.   
The other two are my grandmother and my great-uncle. 

Este is part of Kritiker, an association that employs people to become assassins. But Este handles the psychic contingent, most of who either attempt suicide, or become power-hungry maniacs. Most of them, anyway. 

"Are you sure this Bradley Crawford is the sanest assassin you have?" 

"Jayde, you will only be with Schwarz for a year. Mr Crawford is not only the sanest assassin we have, but the best." 

"But Gramps, I wanted to go solo!" 

"No buts, JayJay." My grandmother's tone was firm. 

"Fine, I'll go. Where am I meeting them again?" 

"Just outside this room."   
  


That conversation took place five minutes ago. I'm now standing at the double doors. I straighten myself up and put my sunglasses on. I'm wearing contacts, but my eyes are bloodshot. I can't let them see me like that. I open the doors and come face to face with a man in a cream-coloured Armani suit. I stare up at him. He's about nine inches taller than me! 

"You must be Jayde," he says in a smooth voice, "I am Brad Crawford, leader of Schwarz. This is Schuldig, our telepath." 

"Tag," the one named Schuldig says to me. 

"Tag," I reply. 

I've been studying German since I was seven, so I have a fairly good understanding of the language. Correction: I speak it fluently, but I'm just a bit rusty, that's all. 

Schuldig circles me once, and grins at me. 

// I don't need your approval, \\ I snap at him telepathically. 

// Come now, that's no way to talk, \\ he replies, still grinning. 

// Would you rather I use physical force to wipe that silly grin off your face? \\ 

// You can use physical force on me anytime……… \\ 

I glare at him and break the connection. I've only been with them for 10 minutes, and I already hate it. 

But this isn't the whole team. Grandma told me there were 4 of them. 

"Schuldig, take Jayde's bags and carry them to the car." Brad motioned to my bags on the floor. 

"I can carry my own bags. I don't need him to do it," I reply, wrestling my bag from my new enemy's grip. 

He gave me a look, and shrugged it off, wandering lazily in front of myself and Brad. This was going to be a long year.   


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   


**BRAD**   


The fifth wheel has arrived. And she's already become enemies with Schuldig. I don't know what was said, but knowing Schuldig, he would have made some lewd comment. He would be shot if the Elders found out; Jayde is related to all three, granddaughter of two, great-niece of one. I don't need it on Schwarz's record that Schuldig- 

I'm not even going to finish that sentence. 

And we haven't even arrived home yet. Jayde still has to meet Nagi and Farfarello. 

………Maybe having a fifth member won't be so bad. We have the advantage over Weiss, after all. 

I'll have to explain to her about Weiss, too. I really don't want to, but I don't trust Schuldig enough to do it, and Farfarello is in no way sane enough to do it. Nagi may be able to, but since he started schooling by correspondence, he seems to have a ton of work. 

I'd better get these two home before they kill each other. 

As I pull into the driveway, Schuldig jumps out of the car before it's completely stationary. 

"Don't do that, Schuldig!" I scold, but it falls on deaf ears. 

Jayde steps out of the car fairly gracefully, and grabbing her bags, she makes her way inside. I follow closely behind. Nagi and Farfarello are sitting on the couch, watching TV. 

I switch the TV off, and introduce them to Jayde. 

"This is our new member Jayde. She's a pyro and a telepath, and she's only with us for a year. Don't do anything to make her feel unwelcome, or you'll have me to deal with." 

I watch them as they give Jayde a once-over, and she waves shyly. 

"Brad, can you show me where my room is?" she asks me. 

"I will," volunteers Nagi, and Jayde follows him down the hall. 

I sigh and collapse into my chair. 

"Jayde gettin' to ya, Braddie?" 

"No, Schuldig. You are. Whatever you said to Jayde made her hate you. If you don't want to be dismissed, I'd stop treating her the way you do. She's related to the Elders." 

Schuldig's jaw drops. "She's what?!" 

"She's the granddaughter of two of them and great-niece of one." 

"Ach, macht nichts[1]. No doubt she's their little baby, and other crap. I won't touch her." 

"Good." Why do I find no comfort in his words?   


TBC   


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
  


Was it any good? Read and review, onegai?   


^______________^   


~Blue Silhouette~   


**PS. Don't get mad at me if I don't update straight away. I have about three already that need to be updated, so be patient.**


	2. Part Two

**Disclaimer: Jayde is mine, Weiss and Schwarz are not. I WANT THEM TO BEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!**   
  


**The Fifth Wheel**

A/N: Back again! Anyhow, I forgot to say what the German phrase was in English. "Ach, macht nichts" means "Oh, doesn't matter." So I hope that helps. Remember, use random phrases in other languages to utterly confuse your friends and family! Confusion guaranteed!   
*is hit with a random brick* Ow…   


**Part: 2/?**   
  
  


**Jayde's POV**   


After arriving at the house, Brad introduced me to Nagi and Farfarello. To be truthful, I'm just a bit freaked out by Farfarello, but Nagi seems sweet, even if he is a bit quiet. 

He shows me to my room and says, "Don't let Schuldig get to you." 

"Oh, I won't. It's just Farfarello that I'm worried about. What's with the eyepatch and scars?" 

"He's the psychopath of the group, a masochist, but between you and me, I think he's the sanest of us all." 

"Comforting," I say, flopping down on my bed, "My grandfather told me Brad was the sanest." 

"What would your grandfather know about Crawford?" Nagi asks me skeptically. 

"The Elders are my grandpa, grandma, and my great-uncle," I reply, "Weren't you told?" 

"No. But Crawford won't tell us anything, unless he feels it's absolutely necessary." 

"Yesterday I thought it might have been necessary, but now I realise I don't want any special treatment because I'm related to the Elders; just a little privacy is all I ask." 

Nagi starts towards the door. 

"No, you don't have to go, Nagi. By privacy, I meant not having Schuldig burst-" I stop speaking as I feel someone brush against my mental shields. I know exactly who it is. 

// What do you want, Schuldig? \\ 

// To talk. \\ 

// About? \\ 

// Can I come in? \\ 

// Well…Okay. \\ 

As Schuldig shows up in the doorway, Nagi takes this as his cue to leave. The telepath isn't wearing the green jacket he wore when we first met. Instead, he's wearing a pale blue buttoned shirt with short sleeves and white trousers. 

I'd say he looked good, _if_ I wasn't so mad at him. 

"You wanted to talk? Then talk." 

He doesn't answer. Instead, he closes the door and joins me on the bed. 

"Well, are you going to apologise for earlier, or do I have to set you alight to get an apology out of you?" 

"Nein," he answers simply. 

"What?" I can feel my temper flaring up, but I refuse to let it get out of control. 

"I meant what I said, Jayde. You're a very attractive girl." 

"Thanks, but I'm still upset at you." 

Schuldig seems to ignore my words as he leans forward to kiss me. I turn my face, and he only gets my cheek. He grunts frustratedly. 

"You'll come round sooner or later, Jayde. There'll come a time when you won't be able to resist." He gently squeezes my hand and leaves the room. 

Yeah, right. What's he gonna do, manipulate me? I'm a telepath, for crying out loud! All telepaths are strong-willed! And that means… Oh. To keep Schuldig out of my thoughts, I'll have to put barbed wire around my shields and arm the soldiers with machine guns.   


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   


**Brad's POV**   


The sound of knives getting thrown into plaster wakes me up. I glance down the hall to see Schuldig making a hasty retreat, with Farf chasing him. 

// Schuldig! How many times do I have to tell you to stop antagonising Farf?! \\ 

I can almost hear him grin, as he says, // Entschuldigung, _Vati_.[1] \\ 

I shudder. His words make me feel old. 

// Well, you _are_ old, Brad. \\ 

Ooh, that struck a nerve. // Five years from now, you'll be my age. And trust me, Schuldig, five years is not that long! \\ 

He goes quiet, then says, // Thanks for the reality check, but at least I don't have crows' feet, unlike you. \\ 

I glance in the mirror. Damn, he's right! I have to stop stressing, and I _really_ need a vacation… // Make yourself useful and give Farf his medication. \\ There's a scuffle, then a thud. 

// Done. \\ 

"Schuldig, I'm going to bed. I have to tell Jayde about Weiss tomorrow, so I'm taking her out for lunch. I need you to stay here with the others. Is that clear?" 

"Ja, ja." He waves me off and drags Farf into his cell. 

I check on Jayde; she's fast asleep. She's probably dreaming of ways to kill Schuldig. I've often done that, except the difference is that she could probably get away with it. 

"Tomorrow we see what you can really do," I whisper quietly, and leave the room. 

I'm almost dead on my feet. Sleep looks good.   


TBC   


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  


**German translations**

[1]-Sorry, _Dad_.   


There, another chapter completed. I hope you're enjoying it so far, and if you want to see anyone else's POV in later chapters, let me know. 

Danke! ^_________^ 

~Blue Silhouette~   


**PS. Don't get mad at me if I don't update straight away. I have about three already that need to be updated, so be   
patient.**   



End file.
